Holiday Grump
by xLoveless19
Summary: Being lumped with detention duty right before Christmas break was the worst. And only one kid to look after too? It's reasons like these that made Kakashi feel like a grump sometimes. KakaNaru
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas my lovelies! Besides my on-going fic, it's been quite awhile since I've done another KakaNaru fic and I actually was not gonna do a xmas one but then was suddenly given the urge to...I blame my friend Dana 0-o She's also doing a xmas fic and if anyone is interested, it's a SasuNaru one and you can find it on her profile! ;D Dana-Eliza Anyway, enjoy and Merry Christmas! Or...Happy Holidays! 8D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

~Holiday Grump~

That jolly time of year again. Even though most people weren't exactly jolly anymore at this point since Christmas had been shoved down their throat and beaten into their mindless brains since the day after Halloween. Really, there was only so much Christmas joy you could spread until people turned into the Grinch. And those that remained happy and spirited with Christmas joy...Kakashi really wished he could show them his "joy".

He wasn't normally such a grump, he liked Christmas. It's just that the holiday really lost its appeal after being exploited for so long. And could you blame him? _Jingle Bells_ and _Santa's Coming to Town_ can really grate on your nerves when you're having a shitty day. The last day before Christmas break and what was he doing? Sitting at his desk correcting test papers because he had been stuck with detention duty. And there was only one kid in detention too.

One kid. It really only took one kid to make his day a little worse. Withholding the urge to sigh, Kakashi peaked at the clock. His eye twitched. He had been sitting here for an hour, and there was still another hour to go of this kid's detention and he had finished grading all the papers for his classes.

So what to do for the next hour? He could read his book, but he surprisingly wasn't in the mood too, especially since he had reread it at least ten times and he was itching to get the next volume. It was just his luck that it was sold out in book stores. His bored gaze shifted over to the young man sitting in his desk in front of him, head down. The boy hadn't uttered a peep the entire time, and he faintly wondered if he had decided to take a nap.

By right, this was a punishment and he shouldn't be sleeping. He was meant to sit and suffer and think about whatever he had done. Especially since he had to sit here and suffer as well.

"Oi, wake up. No sleeping in detention."

The body shifted slightly, the blonde head readjusting itself on the boys arms and irritated blue eyes stared directly at him.

"I wasn't sleeping old man."

Old man? Really? There was just no respect anymore. He was twenty-nine!

Kakashi leaned back in his chair and stared hard at the young man in front of him. "Then sit up straight. That way I won't mistake you for sleeping."

Despite that scowl and defiant look in the boy's eye, Kakashi was surprised to actually see him comply and sat up straight in his seat. Usually the delinquents gave him a bit more of a fight than that. The two of them stared at each other. Kakashi with a bored look on his face and the kid with an irritated scowl on his.

From what Kakashi could remember when he looked at the detention sheet, this student's name was Naruto Uzumaki. What his crime was that landed him in detention however was unknown to him. He didn't even know the kid that well either, he wasn't in any of his classes mainly because he taught advanced placement classes and the seniors.

However, despite his lack of knowledge about Naruto, he was aware that he was a new student. A foreign one at that. He was originally from France and had started into the year about a month late. And so far he hadn't gotten off to a very good start. From the detention sheet record, this was Naruto's seventh detention in a row since he came here.

The tension between then started to build, and while Kakashi normally wouldn't of cared, he didn't want to sit through a tense and awkward silence for the next - he glanced at the clock - forty-five minutes.

"So Naruto, I heard you were from France. What part of France are you from?"

Naruto shifted slightly in his seat, his eyes narrowing to mere slits. "Does it matter? It's pointless trying to get to know me if that's what you're trying to do. You can just look it up in the schools records."

Kakashi eye smiled at the brat. "Yes I could look it up myself, but that would seem creepy now wouldn't it?"

"I wouldn't put it past someone who actually wears a mask."

This brat was quite cheeky. But with that slight, almost unnoticeable accent laced within his voice, it was actually a little amusing.

"You could cut me little slack here. I just thought a little small chat could make the time go faster. I'm sure you want to get out of here quickly to enjoy your Christmas break."

If possible, the tension between them thickened, then suddenly dropped into a heavy silence. It took Kakashi a moment, but he figured out quickly why that was. The expression on the boy's face was at first anguished, but quickly turned into bitterness.

"Something the matter?"

"No."

The answer he received was delivered to quickly with a very gruff edge to it. Obviously there was something wrong. Now the pressing matter here was whether or not Kakashi should push the subject or let it go. As a teacher, it really wasn't any of his business but he was here to help a student in need whether it be for education or other personal matter if said student needed that type of guidance.

With another quick glance at the clock and seeing that there was thirty minutes left, Kakashi thought what the hell.

"You know Naruto, if you're having any problems at home you can always speak to a teacher you like and trust about it. We're not just here for-"

"Oh spare me the compassion, I've heard that recited more times than I can remember and I'm sick of it." Naruto's hands clenched into fists, his teeth gritting in anger. "And as if I'd ever go to a _teacher_ about my problems. What could they do anyway? Nothing. Whatever issues I might be having is none of your, or the school's, damn business anyway!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "You may think it isn't the school's business but when someone lands themselves in detention seven times in a row within three months, then there's definitely a problem that the school will find big enough to intervene at some point. Next time you might just get suspended."

"Good. I hope I do."

Wow, was this the typical teen angst? Kakashi had been a teacher for about three years now and had dealt with some difficult students before with similar behavior, but this was just ridiculous. Kakashi really didn't have the patience to deal with the kid anymore.

"Alright then."

The blonde sneered at him. "What? No speech about how I should stay in school, further my education and how I'm being stupid right now?"

"No cause I really couldn't give a crap." Kakashi blatantly looked back over at the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes left. "Why should I when I could of left and went home to start enjoying my vacation about two hours ago? Instead I have to sit here with someone dumb enough to get detention for the seventh time, and right before the Holidays. You're not my responsibility, so do whatever the hell you want."

The tension in the room oddly dropped a little. "About time I was given an honest answer." The sneer on Naruto's face slowly turned into a neutral look. Without a word, the blonde got up, gathered his stuff, and walked out of the room.

Kakashi watched him leave, and only after the door shut did he question his actions just then. That was very unprofessional of him, but he really didn't have the patience anymore. Kakashi was definitely a grump. Though he blamed that on all the Christmas music he's been hearing nonstop for a month and a half.

With a sigh, Kakashi stood up as well and gathered his things. He didn't bother writing Naruto a conduct card for leaving detention earlier since he practically gave him the invitation to just leave if he wanted. A small part of him felt a little guilty and ashamed of himself for saying all of that, but what's done is done. On the plus side he could finally leave and enjoy his vacation.

* * *

Possibly another reason why Kakashi was a bit of a grump during the holidays was because he spent them alone. Actually not entirely, he did show up for his friends Christmas parties to catch up and have a good time. But he didn't have any family to spend Christmas with. Since he was a young teenager he had either spent Christmas or Thanksgiving with friends, but as he grew older he was losing the enthusiasm to do that.

He was incredibly grateful of Asuma, Gai, and Yamato always inviting him and including him in with their families, but it just wasn't the same. This year they were having another Christmas party and of course invited him, but Kakashi wasn't exactly feeling up to it. Despite that, he'd probably still show up for a little bit anyway. He couldn't be an ass and not show...

And the moment he decided he'd go even if for a short while did he remember he hadn't gotten Gai anything. So here he was, out last minute Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. To top it off it was lightly snowing. He could of been home right now, warm and cozy with his cute little pug Pakkun, but no, Gai needed _something_. He should be easy enough to shop for though. What did he get for him last year again?

After getting out of his car Kakashi walked across the street and maneuvered his way through the throngs of people. Every Christmas in the city square they went all out with the decorations. Even a giant ass tree. Kakashi would admit that it all looked quite nice and festive even if it seemed a little overdone. Though he could imagine the amount of work it took to decorate everything, and then to take it all down. In the freezing bitter cold too.

It was just a bit past noon and the place was packed with people. Even if he had a pleasantly passive look on his face, he was still mildly irritated with how crowded it was. His eyes scanned the small shops, but nothing really caught his eye.

The sounds of laughter, animated talking, children screaming or crying filled his ears. It was _loud_. Maybe coming to the city square wasn't the best idea, it was way too crowded. The mall would be just as bad too. After hearing a child wailing over something not too far away from him, Kakashi decided to go back to his car and sit in there and try to think of a gift for Gai instead of aimlessly searching for something. He needed to have a little peace and quiet to actually think.

On his way to his car, he actually heard music playing through the cacophony of noises. It surprised him that he could even hear it through all this racket. Instead of heading to his car, Kakashi made his way towards the source of the music. Now that he was a little closer, he could make out that it was the flute playing the Little Drummer Boy.

When the crowd of people started to thin, Kakashi noticed a figure sitting on a bench on the other far side of the Christmas tree. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly when he recognized who it was.

Playing the flute was Naruto, sitting there by himself. He was bundled up in a thick winter coat, with scarf and gloves, his left leg up and bent in front of him on the bench. Kakashi walked up to the boy and went completely unnoticed. His eyes were closed with the most peaceful expression on his face.

As he continued to play, Kakashi took a seat next to the blonde and just enjoyed the music. It had a calming effect and it was just now that he realized what a nice spot this actually was. Not many people, and away enough from the chaotic crowds. Some people who passed by stopped and listened for a few minutes with a smile on their faces, but then would continue on their way.

Once the song came to an end, Kakashi turned his head slightly towards the boy with an eye smile. "You play the flute incredibly well. That piece was beautiful."

A high pitched sound from the flute was heard as Naruto's body stiffened. Blue eyes flew open and stared at him in shock first before a scowl overtook his face.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be bothering someone else?"

Kakashi casually brushed off the glare he was being given. "Oh I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping for a friend. What about you? Shouldn't you be home with your family right now?"

Clearly irritated, Naruto huffed and put his attention onto his flute, which now with a closer look, was actually a bamboo flute.

"Are you going to play another song? I'd love to hear another."

"Go away!" Naruto grounded out, but still brought the flute to his lips. However he didn't play anything, just sat there with a fixed gaze on the ground covered snow.

Kakashi inclined his head slightly, observing the boy. "Something wrong? Can't you play with an audience?"

A biting glare was sent his way. "Nothing's wrong! Shouldn't you be Christmas shopping instead of bothering me? Why would you be sitting here if you hate me!"

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up. Hated him? "I don't hate you, what made you think that?" Actually, from how he spoke to him last time he couldn't blame Naruto for having that kind of impression.

Sure enough he got the 'are you serious' look. "You couldn't wait to get rid of me before so you could go home. Obviously you can't stand me, and probably can't stand the rest of the student body. You must hate your job."

With a heavy sigh Kakashi rubbed the back of his head with his gloved hand. "Truth be told, I just wasn't in the best of moods that day. I mean, anyone would be a bit put off having to stay later on a day right before Christmas break, don't you think?"

Shoulders relaxed slightly, and a small guilty but understanding look shined in those blue eyes. "Sorry..."

For some reason, that tiny apology was really heartwarming. He reached a hand over and ruffled the boy's hair and brushed some snow off of his head. The action was taken with surprise which quickly turned into annoyance.

Kakashi chuckled at the hand shoving his whole arm away plus the growl directed at him. "You don't have to be sorry. I'm the one who should be apologizing after what I said to you. It was unprofessional of me."

The blonde just shook his head and looked up at him through his fringe. "It's okay. To be honest I...I respect you for saying it. Never has a teacher been so brutally honest before, I'm mostly used to hearing the pre-trained bullshit from them all."

The kid _respected_ him for being an asshole? That was a first...Kakashi had expected him to be highly pissed off with him, or at the very least hate him. But he had to admit he could understand where he was coming from. Half the stuff teachers say is taught to them on how to deal with students, particularly difficult students with problems. Kakashi has met teachers who were actually very caring towards their students, but then he had also met quite a few that couldn't give a crap, but still went about the standard routine when faced with a problematic student.

His eyes softened a bit. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you in detention for?"

Naruto frowned and looked down at his flute. He remained quiet, deep in thought for a few minutes before speaking. "Since coming to America I haven't been able to...fit in. Learning to speak the language was difficult, and I had to do it within a year. For a country with many diverse cultures and nationalities I thought it'd be easy to settle myself in. But I was made fun of for my accent..."

His frown deepened as his grip tightened on his flute. "I know I still have a bit of an accent left but I've tried hard to hide and get rid of it. Even still, it's like I've been marked as the outcast from day one, so nothing I do or say will change anyone's minds. And they're all hung up on these horrible French stereotypes. Claiming I like my women hairy and would have sex with bigfoot too if it actually existed. Some make a huge deal and say I reek cause all French people stink cause we supposingly don't bathe. I've gotten into a lot of fights since the start of the school year, and it's only gotten worse."

An angry flush started to creep up the blonde's neck. "What landed me in detention with you was cause that morning the guys in my homeroom surrounded my desk and started pointing out my features, saying I looked very feminine, then proceeded to flirt and hit on me. One of them even touched me...and once one of them did, they all were trying to."

Naruto's lower lip started to quiver slightly, but his hand came up and rubbed his nose and sniffed, "Of course the teacher walks in the moment I throw the first punch. After breaking up the scuffle, he didn't even ask what had happened or how it happened. He just wrote me off with another detention slip. Not once has that guy ever listened to my side of the story, yet he always says if I ever have problems or need help I can go to him."

If Kakashi felt a little guilty for being unprofessional with Naruto, he felt like an utter bastard now. It amazed him that Naruto actually respected him for just being honest even though it was just because he was in a bit of a bad mood.

"Naruto...I know going to a teacher is the last thing you'd want to do, but have you at least told your parents of this bullying? At the very least you can even take it up with the principle."

"I don't have any parents. They both died when I was young, but I was still old enough to at least remember them." A sad, and a tad bit guilty, smile appeared on his face as he watched people walk by with their small children. "But sometimes I wish I didn't. It sounds horrible of me, but sometimes I think maybe if I didn't remember them, it wouldn't hurt so much. But then, it would probably still hurt just as bad not knowing anything about them too wouldn't it?"

That hit way too close to home. Kakashi could a hundred percent relate to that. Sometimes forgetting seemed like the best cure to heartbreak. It certainly wasn't painful when you forgot the source that was causing it. But...it wasn't right to just toss aside the memory of one's parents like that, no matter how painful it was. Kakashi felt that he should say something, but found he wasn't mentally prepared to give moral support on something so deep and heavy as this when it affected him as well.

"Don't you have a guardian? Someone has to be watching over you..."

"I do." Naruto looked away from the crowd and fiddled with his flute. "He's like an uncle or grandfather to me since he was so close to my parents. He took me in when they died since I didn't have any other family. But he's an author and travels a lot to gather material for his novels. Right now I think he's in Canada. He's come home a few times to check on me but I never wanted to bother him when he travels so much."

Kakashi gave the blonde a very stern look. "He's your guardian, he's suppose to be looking out for you and be someone you can turn to when you're having problems like this. Is he home now?" Kakashi was actually ready to drag Naruto home and have a talk with his guardian about this bullying problem. That was just unacceptable!

However Naruto just shrugged and brought his other leg up and wrapped his arms around them while resting his chin on his knees. "He's in Canada right now. He was suppose to be home a couple days ago but because of a big blizzard that hit the area he's in, all flights have been canceled." Naruto turned steely blue eyes onto him. "And don't you dare think about telling him any of this. He's sacrificed a lot for me already."

As much as he wanted to argue with the boy and make him see reason, he didn't have much of a place or right to do so since he didn't have a full understanding of his situation. But he was an adult, and a teacher at that, so it was his duty to report such abuse...

One look at Naruto's face told him that might be the worst possible thing he could do. Sometimes people think they're doing the right thing by speaking out for others and helping them. But sometimes...doing exactly that could cause more harm than good. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, brushing the snow out of it and sighing. The least he could do for now is keep an eye on him and make sure he was alright.

"So you're alone for the holidays? Any idea of when your guardian will be back?"

Naruto shrugged. "When the airports in his area deem it safe he'll be on the next flight back here to Rhode Island. Maybe before New Years."

"I see." Kakashi thought it over, and came to his decision quite quickly. "Well, since you got no one to spend the Holidays, why don't you spend it with me?"

"_What_?"

The look on Naruto's face was almost comical. "Spending Christmas with a teacher? That sounds a bit pathetic of me..."

"Not as pathetic as spending it all by yourself though right? What do you have planned anyway?"

Naruto toyed around with his flute, looking very uncertain with himself. "What would we even do...?"

That was a pretty good question. It'd probably be loads awkward between the two of them, but Kakashi would try and make it work somehow. He shrugged casually as he scanned the nearby shops with a bored look. "Well first I guess I'll start with looking for a present for you. Then do a little grocery shopping to make a Christmas dinner. By the way where would you like to have this, your place or mine? I wonder if there are any Christmas trees left to buy too. I don't own one of my own cause I usually just go to friend's Christmas parties. Maybe we'll swing by one of them tomorrow if you're up to it. How's that sound? ...Hm?"

Naruto was staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "A-Are you being serious right now?"

Kakashi blinked. "Of course. What's wrong?"

His response was slow, but Naruto was shaking his head quickly. "Nothing's wrong I'm just...just surprised ya know? And uh...your place I guess..."

Kakashi smiled at the blonde then stood up. "Come on, there's a lot to do to prepare for tomorrow."

.

.

.

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**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N: Hello my wonderful peeps! Merry Christmas! Or Happy Holidays lol This will be my Christmas fic and...actually it's the first Christmas fic I've ever done too. And don't worry, it's not going to be a very long drawn out fic that will take me ages to finish lol I plan on making it 3 chapters long. 5 chapters being the max if it calls for it. And for those of you interested in Dana's sasunaru Christmas fic, it's titled _Secret Santa_. Again, you can find it on her profile if you search for Dana-Eliza! :) You have her to thank for this kakanaru Christmas fic 0-o **

**Anyway thank you for reading and the next chapter shall be up soon! ;D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Konnichiwa ;D Thank you everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed the fic so far! :) It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside when I'm outside chucking snow over my shoulder early in the morning x3 Seriously, I woke up this morning and had to shovel snow before going to work, and I go online and see some nice reviews and people favoriting and following and I'm like "D'awwwww" So thank you! xD **

**So hope you all enjoy Chapter 2! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

~Holiday Grump~

If looking for a present for Gai was tough, then Naruto was even harder. Last minute shopping for a gift for a person you had pretty much just met was probably one of the most difficult tasks ever. It didn't exactly help with Naruto suddenly turning extremely shy. Sometimes he'd open his mouth to say something, then would have a doubtful or embarrassed expression on his face, and then he'd snap his mouth shut and remain quiet.

Around the fifth or sixth time, Kakashi turned towards him with an expectant look. Once again Naruto wimped out. Kakashi was crossed feeling both amused and mildly annoyed with this.

"What is it Naruto? You've been practicing your fish faces for the past twenty minutes."

The blonde's face reddened even more as he hunched his shoulders as if being caught red handed. He glanced at him for a moment before his eyes darted away. "I um...you really don't have to get me anything. I don't even know what to get you or know...your name actually."

Kakashi stared at the boy blankly for a full minute before he finally blinked. He didn't know his name? "You know during detention my name was on the board behind me right?" And it was, Kakashi always had his name on the upper right hand corner of the board because he was sick of being called "Aye yo mista!" Why not make it easier for the schmucks he calls students? They won't have an excuse anymore to say they didn't know his name if it was always on the board.

Now Naruto looked even more embarrassed, but also slightly irritated. "No...I didn't see. I had just walked in and sat down."

At the very least, Kakashi decided to give Naruto a pass on not paying attention and noticing his name on the board. After what had happened to him that day, he couldn't really blame him. Kakashi casually shrugged.

"Ah well, my name's Kakashi Hatake. I teach advanced placement classes for Ancient and World History and I'm a homeroom teacher for the seniors. And it's fine, you don't have to get me anything. Having your company tomorrow is enough."

"Mr. Hatake...got it."

For some reason being called Mr. Hatake by Naruto sounded so odd. Normally it would piss him off if a student or just someone below twenty called him by his first name. It was a sign of disrespect and unfamiliarity, yet it still sounded strange coming from him.

"You know...you can call me Kakashi for now if you'd like since we're not in school. Though of course I'll expect you to call me Mr. Hatake once we're back there."

Naruto gave him an odd look, but slowly nodded his head. "Alright. So uh...you teach ancient and world history? I really want to take that class next year."

"Do you? You like that subject?" He actually didn't peg Naruto as a kid to like history or...well anything educational in fact. He gave off a very laid back, defiant, and a bit of a jokester type of vibe.

"I do. Especially Ancient Japanese history concerning samurai or ninja."

Funny, that was one of Kakashi's favorite history subjects too. "My classes will actually be moving onto that after Christmas break. They just had a midterm on Russian history. Are you taking a history class this semester?"

The disgusted face Naruto made was amusing. "Judging from the look of your face, I'm assuming it's American history."

"Yeah..." Naruto nodded, but then suddenly shot his hands up as if in surrender. "Not that I have anything against your country's history! It's just that I already had it beaten into me back in France when I was trying to become an American citizen. It's hard getting into this country..."

"I can imagine. But don't worry, kids usually don't like American history much at all, or they just generally don't like history." His own class wasn't even half the size of a regular class. There were only about ten kids in it. He did have more at the beginning of the year, close to twenty kids. But they all dropped it once they realized it was too vigorous for them.

Naruto nodded, finally looking a bit more relaxed and slightly more comfortable. Kakashi's eyes skimmed the area for anything that would catch his interest. He still had no idea what to get Naruto. He looked down at the boy who also seemed to be glancing around at some of the shops. Nothing seemed to catch his interest either.

They were wasting time by walking around aimlessly. Another problem was that Kakashi didn't want to buy Naruto's gift right in front of him for him to see. It had to be a surprise or else what's the point of the present? And he still had to get a tree and do some grocery shopping...

Kakashi's eyes brightened a little, then he turned to the teen with a smile. "Say Naruto, do you mind doing me a favor?"

The blonde inclined his head questioningly at the older man. "Sure, what is it?"

Kakashi took out his wallet and took out a few twenties and then an old receipt and a pen. "Could you run over to the grocery store across the street and buy these things I'm writing down? It'd make things go faster that way."

After writing down the food and other ingredients he wanted he handed the list and money to Naruto. "I _can_ trust you with this right?" Kakashi stared hard at the boy.

Hesitantly Naruto took the money and list and skimmed over it. Slowly a smile stretched across his face, then he looked up at Kakashi. "You can count on me! When and where should I meet back up with you?"

"How about in an hour, meet me back at my car." Kakashi pointed out where he had parked and described his car until Naruto spotted it. "If you finish early just wait by it until I get there alright?"

Naruto nodded then stuffed the money and grocery list in his jacket pocket and rearranged his bag on his shoulder. "See you in an hour then!"

Kakashi watched as Naruto took off, eyes widening a little when he almost ran into someone, but swiftly dodged them. He smiled. The blonde looked pretty happy, and it made Kakashi feel good that he could do this for the kid. And honestly, he was a little excited too. The thought of spending Christmas with someone instead of wondering who's house or party he was going to go to felt nice. Once Naruto was out of sight, Kakashi resumed his Christmas shopping. He still didn't know what to get Gai or his new little blonde companion.

Suddenly an idea hit Kakashi. Finally his aimless wandering had a destination now that he at least knew what he wanted to get for Naruto. And he was sure the blonde would love it too.

* * *

Almost fifty minutes later Kakashi was making his way through the crowd with a shopping carriage to reach his car. After some vigorous searching, he finally found something he could give to Gai. It was a bit more of a gag gift...but he knew it probably would never even cross Gai's mind. Only Gai would love any kind of gift concerning Richard Simmons...the freak.

But at least he got that out of the way. Now he was completely done with shopping and had something for both Gai and Naruto. He even was able to find a medium sized Christmas tree and a box of assorted ornaments along with some other decorations.

Once he could see his car, he saw Naruto, now wearing a Santa hat, leaned up against the driver's side playing his flute again. This time he was playing Silent Night. Naruto was probably half way through the song when he noticed Kakashi approaching. The song stopped much to the dismay of the small audience he managed to gather, but the blonde didn't even seem to notice them. Instead he smiled and put his flute away.

"You could of finished playing you know." Kakashi pulled the shopping cart to the trunk of his car and opened it.

"It's fine. I was only playing cause I was a little bored." Naruto came around to with his own shopping cart filled with groceries and started to help Kakashi.

"Looks like you disappointed your fans though."

"I don't have any fans..."

It could of just been from the cold, but Kakashi didn't think that was the cause for the blonde's now slightly flushed cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi glanced around at a couple people who lingered, curiously watching to see if Naruto would play again.

"_Yes_ I'm sure," Naruto said as his shoulders hunched a little bit and focused only at the task at hand.

Seeing his cheeks get even redder gave Kakashi the urge to tease him further, but they needed to get going before it got too late. With a lazy shrug, Kakashi let it slide. Once they were done putting everything in his trunk, Naruto's fans had started to continue on their way. They got into his car and Kakashi pulled out and entered traffic.

It was a little quiet between them until Naruto spoke up first.

"Do you mind if I put the radio on?"

"Go ahead."

Having some music would be better than them sitting in an awkward silence. It'd be a good distraction too since Kakashi was too aware of how fidgety the teen was. However the moment the radio was on, Here Comes Santa Claus came blaring through his speakers. Christmas music was way too over played.

Kakashi was two seconds away from changing the station to something else when he heard Naruto start humming along. A quick glance in his direction showed him how happy the blonde seemed now too, a bright smile gracing his face.

The irritation Kakashi felt melted away. If Naruto was happy then he'd put up with this crap. Finally, after two or three more Christmas songs, there was a commercial break. He was glad for it too cause he had wanted to chat a little bit with Naruto, get to know a bit more about him.

"So Naruto, I was wondering when you learned to play the flute. I meant it before when I said you could play really well."

"Oh I uh..." Naruto sunk a little into his seat and toyed with the ends of his scarf, "I taught myself."

"You did?" That was impressive. "For someone who taught themselves, you're quite talented. How long have you been playing then? What got you into playing the flute?"

"Thanks..." Naruto glanced up at him with a shy smile. "And I've been playing since I was thirteen. I actually hated the flute at first. The only reason I was even playing it at that time was because my guardian insisted I participate in some kind of school club and got me into band...

"I didn't know how to play any kind of instrument but I wanted to play the drums cause it looked like the easiest one, but that one was taken. Even the triangle would of been good enough for me! But no, someone already had that. It was clear nobody wanted to be in the band club too cause we actually all sucked when we played."

The image of a band playing horribly popped into Kakashi's head and it amused him more than it probably should of. Probably because he could picture Naruto in the mix in there as well with an annoyed pout on his face as he played something as mundane as the triangle.

"Anyway, I sucked playing the flute and couldn't stand the music teacher either. But I did practice at home because I didn't want to look stupid during our first performance. And I guess...as time went on I actually started to like playing and even got good at it. The only problem was that I hated playing with everyone else, so eventually I quit the band."

"Why did you hate playing with the band?"

Naruto just shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe cause I never wanted to learn the songs the teacher had planned out for us and I had just wanted to do my own thing."

"I see. Do you play in public often?"

"Yes and no..." Naruto looked out the window. "Today was the first time I played in the city square, but I did use to do it back in France. I lived in Bordeaux and the city was always beautiful during the holidays. I'd sit and play the flute and sometimes even got a few tips from people. Here in Providence, it reminded me a bit of home."

Kakashi looked at Naruto with a little sympathy. "You must really miss your home back in France."

Naruto was silent for a couple of minutes until he uttered a solemn, "Yeah."

The commercials on the radio came to an end and once again it started playing Christmas music. This time however Naruto didn't hum along, he remained silent instead. It was like that for the rest of the ride. Kakashi didn't engage Naruto in anymore conversation because it looked like the teen was deep in thought.

At least the ride didn't last for much longer. It was a relief seeing his house and then pulling up into his driveway. They both got out and walked around to the trunk and grabbed a few things to drag inside. Kakashi took out his keys when he remembered something.

"By the way just so you know I have a dog. He's a friendly little pug, but if you have any problems with him let me know alright?"

Naruto's eyes seemed to brighten. "I love dogs! They're so much better than cats."

Kakashi chuckled as he opened the door and walked in. "Good. I'll introduce you once we have everything inside. Wait here, I'll get the rest." He set everything down on the floor then walked back outside to grab the rest from his trunk and brought it inside. What greeted him was Naruto on his hands and knees, laughing away while giving Pakkun the belly rub of a life time.

"I see you've met Pakkun. Looks like you're his new favorite person now too."

"So that's his name! Why does he smell like...minty rainforest mist? Isn't that a shampoo?"

"Yes." Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow, wondering how he was so spot on. "I give Pakkun a bath once a week and use that shampoo on him. He really likes it."

The teacher's eyes widened a bit when Naruto suddenly burst out laughing. He remembered how his friends laughed at him and occasionally poke fun at him for washing his pug with the shampoo, but none of them laughed _this_ hard...Here Naruto was actually holding his sides with a couple tears at the corner of his eyes. Pakkun even looked slightly miffed.

"Is it really that funny?"

"No I-I'm sorry." Naruto finally was able to catch a breath and calmed down a little, but still erupted into a couple snickers here and there. "It was funny to me cause my guardian uses the exact same shampoo. I can't wait to tell him he smells like a dog!"

Kakashi only shook his head in amusement while Pakkun grumbled and barked, wanting more belly rubs. "We should start getting to work. We need to put the tree up, and then I'd like to get started on preparing tomorrow's supper so all I'll have to do is throw it in the oven."

"Oh I wanted to ask you about that. What are you making?" Naruto patted Pakkun on the head before standing up and taking off his coat and scarf.

"I was going to make lasagna and devil's food cake for the desert. Is that alright?" Kakashi blinked at the dreamy dazed look on the teen's face. Was that drool at the corner of his mouth?

"Yeah, yeah that sounds great."

Kakashi stared at Naruto with a deadpanned face. "You almost sound like you haven't had a decent meal in awhile..."

Naruto lifted a hand and wiped at the corner of his mouth, a blush forming on his face. "Well uh...I can't really cook anything edible and when my guardian is gone I pretty much live off of ramen."

_Ramen_? That unhealthy, salty noodle soup? Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the boy. "That's not healthy eating at all. I'm going to add some fresh vegetables with the meal too."

"Blergh! Don't do that, I hate green food!"

Kakashi shrugged his coat off and hung it up, then walked past Naruto to grab the grocery bags and headed towards his kitchen. "Vegetables are good for you. You're eating them."

He ignored the whining from the teen as he put things away. When he was done, he turned and saw that Naruto was still pouting at the thought of eating his vegetables. Kakashi eye smiled at him, thinking the brat actually looked pretty cute when he was annoyed.

"Let's go put up the tree. I'd like to have it done before it gets dark."

The pout on Naruto's face diminished and turned into a smile. Together they moved some of the furniture around a little to make room for the tree, then starting putting it up. What Kakashi would of normally found a tedious task was actually quite enjoyable. Naruto was having fun and was very chatty. At one point he even took off his Santa hat and put it on Pakkun's head and took a picture of it with his phone. It looked like he was finally comfortable around Kakashi.

"You know, both you and Pakkun share the same bored look in your eyes. It's weird yet funny at the same time."

Kakashi glanced at the pug then at Naruto. "Are you saying I resemble Pakkun a bit?"

Naruto made an impish grin. "Not at all, but you and Pakkun seem like a match made in heaven."

At hearing his name being more than twice now, Pakkun walked into the room and woofed, looking up at them both questioningly. The Santa hat was still on his head but a little crooked now.

"Hey Pakkun watcha doing? You messed up your hat a little bit, let me fix it for you!" Naruto crawled over to Pakkun and picked him up then set him on his lap. While the pug didn't look it, Kakashi knew that Pakkun really loved the attention he was receiving. It was way more attention than he normally gave him. He just wasn't as affectionate as Naruto was.

While Naruto fussed over Pakkun, Kakashi looked at the tree. It was done, all that it needed was the star on top. Kakashi had the star on the table since Naruto insisted that it had to go on last.

"All that's left is the star. Why don't you put it up."

Naruto looked up and his face beamed. He set Pakkun down before jumping to his feet and grabbing the star and oh so carefully setting it on the top of the tree. Now it was finally done. Kakashi appraised their work and nodded in satisfaction.

Now all he had to do was put the supper for tomorrow together and then bring Naruto home before he wrapped his gift. At the thought of bringing Naruto home, Kakashi glanced at the clock and inwardly cursed. It was nine at night.

"It's really late. I should get you home."

Naruto looked over at the clock then too and visibly deflated, his smile falling into a dejected frown.

"Oh...yeah ok. I'll go get my coat."

That sad, miserable look on Naruto's face really tugged at his heart. "Actually, since it's pretty late why don't you stay the night. It might be even better, we can open presents first thing in the morning after we wake up."

He had expected an overjoyed whoop, but instead what he got was a blushing and stuttering blonde, his accent suddenly very thick in his speech.

"S-Stay the night? Like sleep over? Are you sure, where would I sleep?" The blonde's eyes darted around the room nervously as he wrung his hands together.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I have a spare room with a bed. You can sleep there. I also have some old clothes somewhere in my closet you can wear to sleep."

That seemed to make the blonde's face even redder. Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly, observing the teen in front of him. He suddenly reverted back to his nervous, shy demeanor. Well, it was a little bit understandable in a sense since he was offering Naruto to stay the night when they haven't known each other that long. So Kakashi brushed the blonde's behavior off even though he found the teen to be unbelievably cute at the moment.

"Come on, I'll find you some old clothes for you to change into and get comfortable. Then I'll throw a little something together for us to eat before going to bed."

Naruto only nodded and followed Kakashi into his room. He stood near the doorway awkwardly as Kakashi rifled through his drawers and pulled out an old grey t-shirt and black sweat pants. "Here, you can wear these, though they might be a bit big on you." Kakashi eyed Naruto's frame and build, only now noticing that he was a pretty thin boy and even a tiny bit on the short side. His head only reached his chin. Most boys his age were at least eye level with him.

"You can also take a shower too if you want. Bathroom is down the hall on the right, and you'll find clean towels in the closet in there. I'll take one after you're done."

Kakashi waited for confirmation or just some kind of reply but Naruto just stared up at him, his face still a little bit flushed. Kakashi eyed the blonde curiously.

"Is something wrong?"

Whatever daze Naruto was in, he snapped out of it and shook his head. "No I just...um," Naruto looked down at the clothes in his hands and bit his lip before stealing a shy glance at him. "Thanks. For everything you know." He lifted his head as a smile spread across his face. A really beautiful and grateful smile. "You're an awesome teacher, wait no...you're an awesome _person_. No one has been this kind to me since I came to America, so thank you."

The teen's sincere gratitude towards him was incredibly touching. So much so that Kakashi felt oddly warm and a little light headed. He smiled down at Naruto and ruffled his hair.

"You're welcome, it really is my pleasure."

Naruto huffed and pushed his hand away, but was still smiling. "I'll go take a shower. I hope you don't just have minty rainforest mist shampoo in there."

Kakashi snorted in amusement. "Don't worry, that's not the only shampoo in there. Just use mine. Though I'm sure Pakkun wouldn't mind if you smelled like him."

Naruto only laughed and left the room. With a contented sigh, Kakashi headed for the kitchen to make a quick meal, maybe some sandwiches for them. When he passed the living room and saw the Christmas tree all bright with its lights on, Kakashi smiled as his heart swelled with happiness. For once in such a long time, Christmas didn't feel so lonely to him anymore.

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**TBC...**

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**A/N: Yaaay I finally got chapter 2 out! I actually wanted to get it out yesterday but...I got distracted. I blame kpop and tumblr...I wasted over an hour scrolling through random shit on tumblr...But it's so addicting I can't help it - **

**Anyway, since Christmas is literally right around the corner, the next chapter will probably come out a little bit after Christmas lol I don't know if I can get the next one out in 2 days since I've been called into work tomorrow, and Christmas Eve is last minute gift wrapping day. We shall see! No promises though 0-o**

**But hope you enjoyed this chapter. Be safe and have a wonderful Christmas my darlings! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas :) Cause I sure diiiiiiid *O* Even though I didn't get a car...but it's okay. I know Santa is a busy man. There's always my birthday. *Gives parents hopeful look* And it's not that I **_**want **_**a car, oh no I **_**need**_** a car. It's tough bumming rides from people to get to work and school all the time, especially when the town bus doesn't come anywhere near my home e.o And I've had bad experiences with taxis...**

**But oh well, I shall await for my birthday! And also, thank you everyone for the feedback :) It always makes me happy to see it! Please enjoy chapter 3! ;D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Though since my mind is still on the subject of cars, I would **_**LOVE**_** to have the bat mobile. Just sayin lol**

~Holiday Grump~

While Naruto was been in the shower, Kakashi threw a pizza from his freezer into the oven. As it cooked, Pakkun had come into the room and sat near his feet and watched the stove intently as the aroma of pizza started to fill the room. And the whole time, Naruto had been on his mind.

For once in such a long time, Kakashi felt happy and content. It felt refreshing to not be alone, to actually have someone in his house and having something as simple as eating together to look forward to. The reason he invited Naruto to spend this holiday with him was because he didn't want the boy to be alone. How many Christmas's did he spend alone since his own parents died? Or even New Years or his birthday? Even if his friends did invite him to their gatherings, it wasn't the same. It didn't have the same feeling he felt when he was with his parents.

But now, as he smelt the pizza cooking, felt Pakkun at his feet, and heard the shower running, he felt it again. That warm, peaceful feeling he thought he had long since lost. Maybe it was because Naruto reminded him so much of himself and he knew exactly how the boy felt since he was going through the same thing.

They were actually quite similar. Kakashi didn't want Naruto to be all alone on Christmas, even though he was sure that he probably has been in the past. And knowing how similar the two of them actually were, Kakashi didn't want Naruto to feel empty like he did.

It was with this thought that made Kakashi suddenly realize that maybe unconsciously, the teacher invited Naruto to spend Christmas with him so he wouldn't feel alone and empty anymore too. That was why he felt so happy and content right now.

The timer on the stove dinged, signaling that the pizza was now done. Kakashi got up and put oven mittens on, then took the pizza out and set it on the table. Pakkun got up as well and kept his eyes trained on the table. Kakashi only ignored him since he fed the pug not that long ago.

About a minute later Naruto walked into the room looking quite refreshed, however one thing really caught his attention. Just as Kakashi thought, those clothes were a bit too big on Naruto. The t-shirt only showed off Naruto's small yet lithe frame and those sweat pants rode a little low on his hips as well. None of this should really matter, but the moment Naruto walked into the kitchen with a towel around his shoulders, Kakashi suddenly seemed to take notice of everything...

"Oh sweet pizza! It smells great." Eagerly Naruto took a seat across from Kakashi at the table and while the aroma of the pizza was quite strong, Naruto's clean scent wafted over to him. The boy smelled like him...obviously he used his body wash and shampoo and not Pakkun's.

Kakashi's gut oddly tightened, but he ignored it. Or at least tried to. As Naruto dug in, Kakashi watched. His hair was still a bit damp, looking very disheveled as if he just lazily dried it with the towel and didn't bother trying to fix it.

He hadn't fully realized how long he had been staring until Naruto was reaching for his third slice and looked up at him. His cheeks became flushed once again and while it could just be from embarrassment or his shyness, Kakashi was beginning to suspect that it was something else.

"Aren't you going to eat too?"

Kakashi blinked, then looked down at the pizza. He was hungry but...

"I will. Eat as much as you want though."

Naruto brought the third slice up to his lips and took a small bite while watching him curiously. Kakashi could just see the question the boy wanted to ask and patiently waited for it.

"Why do you wear a mask Kakashi?"

Many people have asked him this same question, but he never gave a straight answer. Even to his close friends he never outright told them, over time they seemed to figure it out on their own. It was just something he didn't want to talk about with people. But strangely he felt fine with telling Naruto.

"Because it comforts me."

Confusion filled Naruto's eyes, his head tilting to the side a bit, eyebrows furrowed and the base of his nose crinkling slightly. Kakashi eye smiled at the blonde a little sadly.

"I take after my father very much, and at one point, I couldn't handle looking at myself anymore. So I started to wear a mask."

"I don't understand..." Naruto set the crust down and stared at Kakashi, looking even more confused now and even a bit concerned.

"We're very much alike you know." Kakashi stared at Naruto. "Earlier you told me that you lost your parents at a young age." He took a deep breath. "I did as well, but I was about eleven or twelve when it happened."

Pain and grief shone in the boy's eyes, and it took a lot of will power to not look away. "I didn't have any other family or even family friends to take me in. Instead I lived in a foster home until I was eighteen. During that time I started to wear a mask over my face because people who did know my father would always say I looked so much like him. How he lived on in me, and I'd most likely grow to resemble him. I know those people were trying to be supportive and comforting, but it didn't have the desired effect."

Kakashi brought up a hand to the mask on his face. "You said before...maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if you didn't remember them since you were so young when it happened. You can't grieve over something you can't remember. I felt the same way."

Silence settled thickly between them. When Naruto told him about losing his parents, Kakashi had really wanted to talk to him then. Let the boy know that he could confide in him, that he _understood_ him all too well. But it had hit him harder than he expected. Even now it was hard.

Admitting all of this out loud was difficult enough as it was, but just looking at the wave of emotion on Naruto's face made it much worse. Kakashi wouldn't come undone, he wouldn't allow it. Even though he was close to teetering over the edge, he wouldn't break in front of Naruto. He wanted to be seen as a pillar of strength that Naruto could lean on.

So he waited. Waited for a response or reaction from the blonde. Naruto looked like he was about to fall over the edge, ready to break, but suddenly something changed. The boy swallowed then looked up at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.

"Can I see?"

Kakashi's mind went blank. Of all the things he expected Naruto to say or do, asking him _that_ hadn't crossed his mind. He was at a loss for words. Kakashi hadn't shown his face to anyone for years now...Not even to his closest friends. He never took it off. But looking at Naruto, someone who's experienced the same pain he has, urged him to comply.

Silently, Kakashi reached to the edge of his mask that rested below his eyes and pulled it down. Those deep blue eyes followed his hand as the mask descended and finally slipped off his face and hung from his neck.

Without the mask on Kakashi felt naked, exposed. This feeling of vulnerability was unnerving. His fingers itched to yank the mask back on, but he restrained himself, waiting for Naruto's eyes to finish drinking in his face. Those blue eyes darted all around, as if taking in every little feature, then they brightened. A smile stretched across his face along with a small flush on his cheeks.

"You do resemble him a little bit. But you look like you, your own person. I only see you."

Kakashi's eyes widened, his eyebrows creasing in confusion and heart clenching. "How do you know if I resemble him? How do you know what he _looked_ like?" His voice came out a little more cracked than he liked when asking that. He was at the edge again.

"I um..." Naruto looked away a little shyly, "when we were in your bedroom earlier, I saw a picture in the far corner of the room. I recognized you as a kid, and the man and woman must of been your parents."

Kakashi didn't know what to say. Hell, he didn't know how to _feel_. That picture in his room was the only one he had of his parents out on display. The rest were all sealed away shut in his attic. As much as it hurt to remember them, a conflicted part of him felt guilty completely erasing them from his home. So he kept that picture, but in the farthest part of his room so he wouldn't always see it the moment he walked into it.

"I look a little bit like my dad too. I'll show you." Naruto pushed his chair back to get up then walked out of the kitchen to the living room.

Wordlessly, Kakashi followed him. He sat next to Naruto on the couch as the blonde rummaged around in his bag. After a couple of minutes, Naruto pulled out his wallet and took out a small crumpled picture from inside it, then presented it to him.

Carefully Kakashi took the picture and stared at it. Naruto was right, he did look like his father. He strongly resembled him, and he even had a few features from his mother too. But despite seeing how much Naruto looked liked his parents, Kakashi just saw Naruto. And then it hit him on what Naruto meant from what he said.

A shaky smile tugged at his lips. Kakashi reached out to Naruto and pulled the boy into a hug. "Thank you Naruto. And your parents look like wonderful people."

He felt the boy stiffen in his arms, but slowly relaxed into his embrace. The boys scent was strong, and once again Kakashi's gut tightened. He pulled away and immediately noticed Naruto kept his eyes casted down.

"Are you alright?"

A firm nod was the only response he got. Raising a doubtful eyebrow, Kakashi grabbed Naruto's chin and forced the boy to look up, getting a tiny squeak in the process. His face was just red. And he looked embarrassed.

"I-I'm fine alright?!" Naruto ripped his chin from his grasp and then scooted away from him to the other end of the couch, then glowered at him.

Kakashi just blinked, wondering what was up with Naruto. "If you're sure." Regardless he smiled, finding amusement in Naruto's behavior.

This just caused Naruto's eyes to widen, then tear his gaze away to stare at the wall. Kakashi chuckled then moved to pull his mask back on.

"Wait don't."

Kakashi stopped and looked over at Naruto. The boy wouldn't meet his gaze at first, but after a pretty hard bite to his lower lip he turned his gaze to him.

"Don't put it back on. I...don't hide behind your mask. At least not in front of me. You don't have too."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, but then let go of his mask and let it rest around his neck again. If it was with Naruto then it was alright. He'd already shown him his face and...despite how vulnerable Kakashi felt with it off, he felt okay about it around the teen Like he could trust him.. "Alright. Just with you." His eyes narrowed slightly. "But don't take any pictures unless the mask is on."

"Don't worry I won't. Even though you do have a nice face for pictures." Naruto smiled but after a couple seconds his face became horrified. "I-I-I didn't mean that, well yeah I did, j-just not out loud."

If Kakashi had suspicions before, he was pretty certain now. A smirk curled onto his lips. "You think I have a nice face?" Kakashi moved closer to the blonde, and inwardly chuckled that the teen had nowhere to retreat to. Not unless he got up and fled the room.

Naruto glared up at him when he realized he was being teased. Kakashi grinned down at him and ruffled his hair. "You have a nice face too. These whiskers make you very unique." His hand trailed down and cupped his cheek and rubbed his thumb over his faint whisker marks. He didn't miss how Naruto leaned into his hand slightly, but then ripped away and stood up, his face a deep red.

"I'm going to bed!"

Kakashi blinked. "Already? It's only," he glanced at the clock, "a little after ten. Don't teenagers stay up till the wee hours of the morning?" Not that he would stop Naruto from going to bed though. He was planning on going to sleep soon too, but he couldn't help but poke a little fun at him.

"We don't do that _all_ the time. Besides I'm tired. C'mon Pakkun!" Naruto picked up the pug that had been lightly snoozing under the tree.

"You're taking Pakkun to bed with you too? But he usually sleeps in my room." Kakashi pretended to whine.

All he got was an annoyed huff from Naruto. "Well he's sleeping with me tonight. Goodnight!" Naruto rushed out of the room with the disgruntled pug. He smiled at the blonde's retreating form until he couldn't see him, then heard his bedroom door slam shut.

His little crush was cute. He wondered how or exactly when today he suddenly developed it, or if maybe it was just something he'd had for awhile upon first seeing Kakashi. Then he wondered if Naruto had a crush on other guys as well.

Thinking that suddenly reminded Kakashi of how Naruto landed in his last detention. Did the other students know and harassed him because of that? Or did he hide it from them all and they just bullied him for every little thing?

A sudden wave of protectiveness over came him. If he ever saw anyone harassing him he'd get those little bastards suspended. Or better yet, expelled. It kind of upset him now too that he wouldn't have any classes with Naruto until next year when he was a senior. It might of been too late for him to try and get into any of the classes he taught too. Or maybe not since most students dropped his class within the first few days. The only problem with that was he wondered if Naruto could keep up to pace in an AP class.

Kakashi thought about it. He could help him out, even tutor him too. If it came to it, Kakashi would do whatever he could to help Naruto through the course if he was having trouble with it, all just so he could stay in there and hopefully pass with a decent grade. He wouldn't necessarily go easy on him, but he would give him all the help he'd need.

The teacher walked back into the kitchen to clean up while he pondered about this. He wasn't really hungry so he put all of the pizza away in the fridge. It dawned on him then that he should of gotten some of the supper for tomorrow night prepared so he wouldn't have to deal with it but he forgot all about it.

With a sigh Kakashi took out everything he needed to get started on it. Even though the first semester had ended, he could get Naruto into his class somehow. Kakashi just needed to see him at least once a day while in school to make sure he was doing alright. It bothered him now knowing that once school started again, he wouldn't see him as much if at all.

That determined it. Kakashi was going to try and get Naruto into one of his classes. And next year, he'd pull some strings and get him into his homeroom as well. But would that be smart...? From the looks of it, Naruto seemed to have developed a big crush on him. Would Naruto even _want_ to be in his classes?

Kakashi stopped what he was doing and stared down at the pasta in his hands. The thought of Naruto not wanting to see or be around him after all of this was done made his heart tighten. It's only been a day and Kakashi had made leaps he hadn't with anyone else. He showed the teen his _face_. And Naruto liked his face.

That made him happy. Happier than he even thought he would be. And he didn't feel so lonely now either. After this Naruto would have to go back home. Kakashi wished he didn't have to leave. Wished he could live here with him...

Kakashi shook his head. He couldn't even believe it, he was disgusted with himself. Naruto having a crush on him was cute, but him having feelings in return was wrong. He was a minor! Kakashi was twelve years older than him! It was so wrong...

But he's never felt so happy before.

Kakashi went back to preparing the lasagna. It felt nice preparing a meal for someone else other than himself. Maybe...maybe from time to time he and Naruto could do this together. He shouldn't act upon these feelings, and he'd try not to, but it would be nice to just spend time together. That would be alright wouldn't it?

With a sigh Kakashi finished the lasagna and put it in the fridge then cleaned up. He didn't know what to do. The rational side of him knew what he _should_ do. Squash these feelings and be an adult. Naruto was still a child. Plus he'd get into serious trouble.

But then the other side of him wanted to take that step and test the waters. He was tired of being alone. It only hit him now too that Kakashi hadn't ever been in a serious relationship either. None of them ever worked out or lasted for long.

As Kakashi walked down the hall to his room, he stopped in front of Naruto's. Hesitantly he brought his hand to the doorknob and turned it and opened it just a crack. Naruto's soft even breathing reached his ears. He pushed the door open a little wider and peered in.

Naruto had his blankets all twisted in a mess. Taking a slow, cautious step inside Kakashi tip toed quietly to the side of Naruto's bed. He had Pakkun all snuggled up in his arms as he slept. The little pug's ears twitched slightly, then opened his eyes to look up at him.

Kakashi actually felt jealous. Naruto really pampered Pakkun with a lot of affection and attention. The dog was lucky. His gaze shifted over to the blonde and just stared down at him.

He hadn't been lying before when he told Naruto he had a nice face. Sure he had been teasing the teen, but he had meant it. Naruto was a beautiful boy with an adorable accent when he slipped. As much as it burned him up inside knowing that he was harassed by those boys for having feminine looks, he couldn't exactly disagree. Naruto did have a very slight feminine appearance. It might of been the angle of his jaw and those big blue eyes. Traits he noticed he inherited from his mother while from his father he got the hair, the nose, and definitely the smile. Naruto resembled his parents, but he looked like his own person.

With a fond smile Kakashi leaned down and brushed the hair from Naruto's forehead, then pressed his lips there, then pulled back and fixed the blankets around the blonde.

It was wrong of him to have these feelings. But it was alright. He'd wait for Naruto.

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**TBC...**

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**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEARS MY DARLINGS! =D It is actually 11:55 right now for me so in 5 more minutes it shall be 2014! Though for some of you I'm sure it's already 2014 for you lol You're in the future 0-o And then some of you still have a few more hours to go lol**

**Hope you all have a wonderful New Years and the best of wishes to you all to have a great 2014! And now I must o to bed cause I have to be up at 5am to work. Curse you Dunkin Donuts! DX Bah! I'm gonna have the worst bags under my eyes tomorrow lol **

**Anyway hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Love you all and once again Happy New Years! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my lovelies! Hope everyone had an awesome New Years and is now enjoying the beginning of 2014. Right the next day we got hit with a snow storm...it sucked e-o But now, it's all gone! It all melted away over night lol I was so happy to see it gone lol Anyway enjoy the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

~Holiday Grump~

Being shaken awake was definitely worse than waking up to his alarm clock. Kakashi had been laying on his stomach with his head buried in the pillow when he felt hands on his shoulders, then being roughly shaken. He jerked awake and the first thing he saw in his face was Pakkun, who immediately started greeting him with good morning kisses.

"Merry Christmas Kakashi!"

Once Pakkun was out of his face, Kakashi looked up to see Naruto with a huge excited smile on his face. He smiled back.

"Merry Christmas Naruto."

A blush graced his features, but for once the blonde didn't shy away or avert his gaze. In fact, his eyes literally sparkled. "Get up! Come on!" The tugging on his arm resumed, even Pakkun grabbed onto the end of his shirt thinking it was a game.

Kakashi sat up about half way before he saw the time on his clock. It read seven in the morning. With a groan, Kakashi flopped back down and pulled the covers over his head and ignored the indignant 'hey'.

"Don't go back to sleep! Get off your lazy ass and let's go open presents!" Naruto tugged harder at the covers.

"Do you even know what time it is? You're a teenager. You're suppose to sleep till 2PM."

He heard the blonde scoff. "My eyes just popped open this morning and then I couldn't go back to sleep. I was too excited. Now get up!"

With a very powerful tug he wasn't expecting, Naruto had yanked the covers off of him completely. Kakashi was surprised he hadn't gone flying to the floor. As Naruto cheered over his little victory, Kakashi grabbed the middle of his shirt and yanked the boy completely onto the bed.

The boy's cheering was abruptly cut off and turned into a squawk once he was on his back. Kakashi's full weight settled on top of the boy as he rested his head back on his pillow. It took about five seconds until the squirming began.

"W-What the heck do you think you're doing? I'm not some huge pillow! Get off!"

Kakashi tightened his grip around the boy in response to the hands trying to push him away. Naruto may not be an actual pillow, but he was definitely warm and comfy, even if his constant wiggling and squirming was beginning to be a little bothersome.

With a soft sigh, Kakashi lifted his head until he was gazing down into two beautiful blue eyes. Such a vibrant color Naruto's eyes were, so rich and expressive. In them he could see his reflection. The corner of his eyes wrinkled a bit from a slight quirking of his lips.

"Alright Naruto, we'll go see what Santa left for us."

Carefully he lifted himself up and moved to the side to allow Naruto to sit up. Even after he was off the bed and looking for his slippers, Naruto was still laying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. Even though Kakashi knew the kid had a crush on him, he didn't know he had it _this_ bad. It was incredibly endearing.

As he walked by the bed to the door, Kakashi casually reached down to grab the boys foot and shook it gently, smirking when the foot jerked itself out of his hand. "Hurry up before I let Pakkun tear open your gifts. He can be a greedy little pug when he wants something."

He was just opening the door when Naruto jumped up and lunged for Pakkun at his feet. The pug made an annoyed gruff at the rough handling but otherwise didn't seem to care.

"Wait a second. Just um...stay here for a few moments before you come down. I need to check something real quick."

With a raised eyebrow Kakashi watched as Naruto darted out of the room with Pakkun in tow. He wondered what the blonde could be up to but waited patiently to be called. A few minutes later he heard his name being called.

Taking his sweet time despite his curiosity, Kakashi strolled down the hallway and then down the stairs until he walked into the living room. What greeted him was a heart-warming surprise.

"Merry Christmas Kakashi." Naruto smiled as he held out a gift towards him.

"Naruto..." Kakashi gingerly took the present and held it in his hands, staring down at the messily wrapped gift, but could tell there was effort put into it. "You didn't have to get me anything."

A sheepish grin replaced the blonde's smile as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other a few times. "Well I wanted to. You didn't have to invite me over for today or even get me anything either."

Touché. Still, this was a very nice surprise that he hadn't been expecting. For a moment when Naruto found the time to get him something, but it was most likely when he sent him grocery shopping. The kid didn't have to spend any money on him...

Kakashi sat down on the couch. "So I guess you want me to go first?"

The eager nod was enough for him to start peeling the wrapping paper off. A bunch of ideas passed through his mind at what he thought Naruto might get him, but when the wrapping paper was finally off, Kakashi could only stare in shock at what was in his hands.

"H-How did you get this? It's been completely sold out!"

Kakashi was a huge fan for the Come Come Paradise series, and to have the next edition in his hands was a big deal to him. And come to think of it...how did Naruto even know that he was in love with this series? He looked at the boy with a suspicious eye. "And how did you know I read this series?"

Naruto's eyes squinted a bit as he grinned. "I noticed you had a copy of one of the books on your desk during my detention. I'm surprised you're allowed to have perverted books left out in plain sight on your desk."

They were _not_ perverted. These books were gorgeous tales of love and drama, beautifully woven together to portray relationships between a man and woman!

Naruto snorted at the indignant look the teacher was giving him. "Anyway, I've had that book on me before it was even released. My guardian gave it to me because he expects me to read his books before he lets his publisher have it released."

His _guardian_ wrote this book...Kakashi's eyes widened comically. "Are you saying your guardian is Jiraiya?!"

"Yeesss my guardian is that old perverted geezer. It's why he travels so much to get in 'research' or some bunch of bull that he calls it."

Kakashi was floored. He couldn't believe that he had some feelings for the one boy who's guardian was _the _Jiraiya. What a twist this was...

"Vous pervers..."

Even in French, Kakashi could recognize _that _word quite easily. "Maybe a little sometimes." A smirk stretched across his lips as he sent the boy a suggestive look.

That seemed to fluster him judging from the blush on his face and angry mutters in his native tongue. Kakashi smiled and pulled the teen into a hug.

"Merci Naruto." He knew a couple words in French. The generic ones at least.

Hesitantly Naruto lifted his arms and returned the hug, but hid his face from his view. "Pas de _problème_..."

After a few moments Kakashi pulled away. "Alright, time for you to open up your gifts!"

"Gifts?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Yes, gift_s_." Kakashi got up and grabbed the bag he had under the tree and set it in front of Naruto.

Shyly, Naruto pulled the bag closer to him and removed the tissue paper on top. The first thing Naruto pulled out was a wool sweater that said _American Idiot_ across it. A smile stretched across his face. "I love Green Day! Thanks!" Naruto set the sweater in his lap, then proceeded to pull his shirt off.

Kakashi blinked and hastily looked away. He peeked a moment later to check and see if Naruto pulled the sweater on completely, but noticed something on his stomach. "Naruto is that a tattoo?"

The blonde looked confused for a moment before he grinned. "Oh yeah. I got that a couple years ago."

"_Why?_" He didn't have a problem that the kid got a tattoo or anything it was just...Kakashi kind of wished he hadn't seen it now or even known he had it at the moment, because the sight of it on his nicely toned stomach was far too alluring. The urge to touch and feel it was beginning to test his self control.

Naruto shrugged casually. "I just wanted a tattoo for my birthday and pestered Jiraiya until he finally caved and let me get one."

He pulled his new sweater down. Kakashi felt a bit disappointed for it to be covered up now. But he had to admit, the sweater looked good on Naruto even if it was just a tad bit big on him. He had tried to get one close to his size, but this look was fine on him.

Naruto reached into the bag again and this time pulled out a book. His eyes quickly skimmed the cover, then he burst out laughing. "Hilarious American Stereotypes? You got this just to make me feel a little better didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged. But I see that it's already started to work." Kakashi hated that Naruto was being bullied, especially just because he was French and a foreigner and being attacked for hurtful stereotypes. Kakashi hoped that this would help put a smile on his face. That and...some comebacks to throw at those little bastards. Maybe it wasn't smart to give him ammunition, but if things got bad, Kakashi would back him up.

"Thanks Kakashi. For both of these gifts, they're awesome."

"You're welcome." Kakashi smiled, "But there's one more thing in the bag you didn't notice."

With a confused quirk of his eyebrow, Naruto looked back into the bag and noticed there was more tissue paper at the bottom. He moved it aside and lifted up a box from the bag. He sent a curious glance towards Kakashi, then started to tear the box open.

The shocked look in those blue eyes satisfied Kakashi greatly. Naruto looked up at him with such grateful and utterly happy look that Kakashi felt his own heart stop for a second.

"This is beautiful...you really didn't have to Kakashi." Naruto ran his fingers over the smooth wood of the flute case. He traced over the carvings which was the emblem of France. His eyes began to get a little misty, and he sniffed as he rubbed his hand over his nose.

Kakashi sat a little closer to Naruto. "I know how much you must miss your home and that everything hasn't been going so well for you here in America, but I promise you I'll make this into your home."

A couple tears did form in the blonde's eyes and dripped off of his face, landing on the flute case. "Thank you Kakashi. Merci," Naruto looked up at him with a watery smile, "Je suis tellement heureux, vous n'avez aucune idée, si heureux."

Even though he hadn't the slightest clue as to what Naruto said except for _merci_, Kakashi knew that the kid was happy. He probably couldn't express himself clearly enough in English, so reverted back to French. Which was absolutely fine, Kakashi thought that the language was beautiful and was starting to consider to take up some French himself so he could actually speak to Naruto in his own native tongue.

Kakashi pulled Naruto into a hug and rested his chin on top on the blonde's head. "You're welcome. All I want is to see you happy."

Naruto pulled back and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Why though? Je ne comprends pas... How come you're the only person so far that has gone so far as to do all of this for me? Pourquoi...?"

It became very apparent that Naruto was having a little difficulty keeping up with his English at the moment. His accent came through very heavily, and now he was even switching back and forth. Kakashi was definitely going to learn French so he could understand everything the teen was saying if he was always like this when he was emotionally distraught or upset.

Gently Kakashi grabbed Naruto's chin and guided his head to look straight at him. "Maybe because I understand exactly how you feel and what you've gone through. We're kindred spirits, and you already mean _a lot_ to me."

His thumb ran over the teen's cheek, lightly tracing the whisker marks. "You felt it before I did. I feel it now too."

Naruto's eyes widened as realization dawned on him, a look of disbelief on his face. "Y-You know?"

"I do." Kakashi leaned in to rest his forehead against Naruto's so he could stare into those deep blue eyes he was beginning to adore. "I'm leaving the decision entirely up to you. I'll wait for you so nothing would get in the way of the relationship. But if you don't want it, I'll back off but know that I'll always be here for you. It's up to you."

Naruto stared back at him for awhile, he could practically see the emotions flitting through his eyes. Curiosity, doubt, insecurity, admiration, hope, the list went on. But then those blue eyes brightened with what looked like determination. A second later Kakashi felt a pair of lips on his own.

To say he was happy and relieved wouldn't cut it. The way his heart paused and his breath stopped and entire body just freeze up all made him realize just how on edge he actually was waiting for Naruto's answer. The hand he had on Naruto's cheek slid to the nap of his neck, tangling his fingers in blonde strands of hair as he kissed the teen back.

He parted his lips to have his tongue trace the outline of Naruto's lips, wanting to enter and deepen the kiss more, when the phone suddenly rang. They both froze for a moment before Naruto ripped himself away and scurried to the other end of the couch, burying his face in his arms.

Tch...Whoever it was calling, he was going to _murder_ them for scaring Naruto off when they were right in the middle of such an important moment. Kakashi checked the caller ID and felt like smashing the phone when he saw that it was Gai of all people calling. It would be him to ruin the moment for him...

He would of ignored the call, but knowing Gai, the man would just keep calling back until Kakashi answered. Frustrated to some incredibly high proportions, Kakashi picked up the phone and answered. "_What?_"

_"Hello my grouchy friend and Merry Christmas! You don't sound like you're in the holiday spirit this year hahaha! Where is your youth? Your spark? Your passion for this wonderful time of the year?! You mustn't be such a grump or people will start calling you a Scrooge. We don't want that! You should-" _

"Gai, before I hang up, what do you want?" He didn't care if Gai was only calling to say Merry Christmas to him, couldn't he of called much later?

_"Did you forget my friend? Asuma is having his Christmas party and we were going to al gather at his home to open gifts around the tree together!" _

Oh...that's right. He said he'd be there. He even still had Gai's gift sitting under his tree. It actually surprised him that he actually forgot...Kakashi looked over at Naruto, and saw that the blonde had lifted his head a tiny bit to peek out at him, watching him curiously. His heart swelled with a warm fondness just by looking at him. He didn't want to go to his friend's party, not now anyway. And he didn't want to bring Naruto there either, he couldn't let them know. Kakashi smiled at Naruto before turning back to the phone.

"I'm sorry Gai but I won't be able to make it. I actually made some last minute plans with someone else. Tell Asuma and the others I said Merry Christmas for me, and that I'll bring them their presents another time."

_"Last minute plans? Ohohoho good job my friend good job! I expect to hear every detail about this wonderful person you've met! Tell them I said Merry Christmas and have a happy holiday my old friend!" _

"Yeah, you too Gai." Kakashi inwardly rolled his eyes at how weird and irritatingly chipper Gai always was. He'd tell Gai about Naruto, just not about the relationship they now had.

He hung up and put the phone back on its stand and turned back towards the blonde who now seemed to have collected himself enough to show his entire face.

"Was that your friend?"

"It was. He was just calling to say Merry Christmas. They had invited me to go to a Christmas party, but I'd rather stay here with you."

The blush on the boy's face was too much. He really wanted to kiss him again, but didn't want to scare him off. Instead Kakashi would keep his distance and wait for Naruto to come to him when he was ready and comfortable enough to do so.

"So uh...what do you want to do?"

Kakashi thought for a moment, then got up. "Well, I'm pretty hungry, how about I make us breakfast. What would you like?"

Naruto smiled and got up too. "Chocolate chip pancakes please with bacon!"

"Chocolate chip pancakes with bacon it is then."

The rest of the day went by with the two of them getting to know each other a little better. Kakashi even got Naruto to teach him a few words in French, much to the other's embarrassment. When they sat down to eat supper, Kakashi was incredibly flattered that Naruto practically drooled over the meal he set out. It really was such a wonderful feeling just to have somewhere there with him. Someone who he could relate with completely, it made him feel complete for once.

After they finished their dessert, they both moved back to the living room to sit on the couch. Naruto had hot cocoa while Kakashi had some coffee. Pakkun laid sprawled out next to the teen on the couch getting his ears scratched, happily grunting every now and then.

Naruto was leaning up against him as he sipped his beverage, a small content smile on his face. They just sat together, enjoying the other's presence when Naruto looked up at him.

"I know I already said this, but thank you. For the first time since I moved here, I've felt I've finally belonged somewhere. It feels like home here with you."

Kakashi smiled and wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders, pulling him a little closer. "Thank you too. It's been awhile since I've felt this happy. You're welcome to stay and come here whenever you want."

"Good because," Naruto grinned a little mischievously, "Tu ne vas jamais réussir à te débarrasser de moi maintenant."

Kakashi sighed as he sent the blonde a withering look. Once he learned French, Naruto wouldn't be able to say whatever the hell he liked and get away with it. But for now, he could deal with it. He actually loved it when Naruto spoke in his native tongue. His language and his accent were both very attractive traits about him that Kakashi adored.

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**TBC...**

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**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long my darlings! x-x Things like work got pretty hectic for me and for awhile I just couldn't write. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! ;D The next one will be the epilogue. **

**Also, I hope you're all having a wonderful 2014 so far! Till next time my lovelies :)**

**Side note: Made a few corrections in the French parts thanks to Tsubakigirl. Merci ma chérie! ;D**


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